aka avant garde musical water cooler conversation
1. M.I.A.’s NEET Recordings secret weapon is…
Man. I’m kinda stoked about and completely into M.I.A.’s roster of her new NEET Recordings label. Top three signees Rye Rye, Blaqstarr and Sleigh Bells are all next generation funkateers that bring it in a ton of different ways. Sleigh Bells sweep you up in a tornado of staccato electropop rock fueled funk, whereas Blaqstarr is the second coming of Isaac Hayes as Black Moses if given the opportunity. And Rye Rye is a post-teen pop idol, the type of girl that insecure college freshmen can wrap their fashion, hopes, dreams and thoughts around, and be infused with charm, confidence and attitude, as well as some fly dance moves. It’s the next level of Mad Decent it seems, and their most important sign was graphic artist Jamie Martinez. This sonic revolution will be televised, and Martinez, of the 3D holographic prints infused with kente cloth patterns, MIA seconded by Knowledge is King era Kool Moe Dee, Godzilla-esque Rye Rye with a terrified child behind her and the Sleigh Bells as extra spooky intergalactic electro warriors certainly gives NEET an iconic stance that will be as or more important than MIA’s lead video clip from the label “Born Free,” featuring a gingerhead final solution executed by a proto-military state wearing US flags on their sleeves.
2. Chillwave’s next evolution…hip hop production?
So, I’ve been spending a great deal of the last week listening to the new wave of well, “chillwave.” Yes, count me six months behind the curve, but the Javelin, Toro Y Moi, Neon Indian, crew to me felt like the latest post mashup wave of “blawwgggg hausse” DJs who were merely putting out oddball material that had limited appeal because that’s what they thought would work for immediate fame. However, this “chillwave” movement is a horse of a different color entirely. Everything is cyclical. As new wave influenced R & B, we got gems like the Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love,” which the less musically inclined know as the luscious sample that drives Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy.” Now, we go further into the evolution and get new wave and R & B inspiring hip hop, which brought about funky oddballs like Deltron, Dilla, and so forth, and now, the circle completes itself as new wave inspires R & B which inspires hip hop which inspires new wave yet again, twenty years later. Don’t get it confused. There’s nothing fresh, new, cool, or awesome about a band like Neon Indian. They’re great, but not the world stoppers they’re purported to be. They, as well as their contemporaries are WELL studied in their influences. Hey. It’s the 21st century. The internet makes things REALLY easy. My thought here is that there’s a perfect storm brewing between rappers thinking that baring their emotional soul on record is a pathway to the top. I wholly endorse a sampling and production revolution where “chillwave” meets hip hop. I think it’s the next and most productive and financially lucrative step for all involved.
3. Plant Music
The best part about being in DC now is being able to support local talent on an international scale and not appear in any way to be a homer. You can’t front on Nadastrom. Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom are the most in demand remixers in the universe at the moment. The Nouveau Riche crew of Starks and Nacey, as well as Gavin Holland are all on the cusp of major things. Extending to hip hop, good, bad or indifferent, Wale, Tabi Bonney and the Diamond District have made DC a household word in rap music. But my favorite DC contribution of late is that of Jesse Tittsworth and Will Eastman being on the Plant Music imprint. Start on a more grass roots level by The Glass’ Dominique Keegan, but when legendary NYC radio DJ Stretch Armstrong got involved, the label exploded. With a roster including Eli Escobar, the rapidly rising Canadian duo Smalltown Romeo, Depeche Mode’s synth player Kap10Kurt, The Glass and a number of other artists, seeing Eastman and Tittsworth on that level is an appreciated nod to the sonic dominance that has consistently poured forth from the Nation’s Capital, but is often unappreciated. For more info visit http://www.plantmusic.com.
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